Improvement in car-couplings



NVA

Patented pr. 25. 1865.

Inventor.:

.I H R EE D VCar Coupling.

MII. PHOT0LlTHO.C0.N.Y. (OSBORNE'S PROCES 5..` 5 .an 7 4 a N Witnesses: ja... 2% MMM.

Unirse STATE-s JOHN H. REED, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAFt-COUFLINGS.V t

'Specification forming part of' Letters Patent No. 47,455, dated April 25, 1865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that LJOHN ll. REED, dentist, ot'the city and county ofNew Haven,in the State of Connecticut, have-invented a new and uset'ul Improvement in (Jar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of vthe construction, character, and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part ot' this specication, in which- Figure l isa perspective view ofthe coupler when detached from the car-body. showing the lever which works the couplii g pin and the levers by which it is un coupled when desired. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same cut vertically through the center, showing the relative positions of the several parts when the couplingliuk or shackle is secured by the coupling-pin.

llly improvement consists in the use ot' a strong bar, (resting freely in a case or box,) which is forced back or inward by the end ot' the link when it enters the draw-head for the purpose of coupling, where it will be held by a spring-catch or a pawl, and which bar is thrown forward or outward by a spiral spring, or other convenient means, when the catch or pawl is raised and in the use ot'a lever which is jointed to the coupling-pin and is operated by the longitudinal motion of the bar; and in the use of a jointed or double-acting lever which operates or raises the catch to allow the bar to pass forward to cause it to uncouple, and in making the inner portion of the draw-l head, as hereinafter described, for receiving and holding the link.

I make the case or box A A of iron, or any other suitable material, of the proper size,

with its bottom and sides substantially para1- lel, as represented in Fig. 1 and indicated in section in Fig. 2.

I make the longitudinal bar B B of iron, or any othersuitable material, substantially in the form indicated in section-that is, essentiall y square in the crossscction, except a portion near the inner end, which I make round or cylindrical, as indicated in section at C, Fig. 2, on which I place a spiral spring, asindicated at c and a, Fig. 2, to press the bar B B outward; and in the central partIcut away the upper portion, as shown at D, Fig. 2, to allow the hookeatch or paw] b to descend and hold thc bar B B in the position shown in Fig. 2, when the couplingpin ois forced down by the lever E E', when its inner end,E, will rest ou the bar B, as shown at d, Fig. 2, and render `it impossible for the` cars to be uncoupled while the bar B is held in that position by the hook-catch or pawl b, as shown in Fig. 2,

and when the hook or pawl b is raised by means of the pedal g', Figs. 1 and 2, (or by the cord Il., Fig. 2, as they both operate the compound or double-acting levers k and Z, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,) the bar B B will be thrown forward by the spiral sprin g all., Fig.

2, so that the end E( of the lever E E will tallinto the space at D, Fig. 2, as indicated y upper end, so that I can attach it to the end` ot' the lever, as shown at a, Fig. 1, and indicated in Fig. 2.

I make the coupling-pin lever E E substantially in the form shown inperspective in F ig.`

land in section in Fig. 2, with the rear or inner end much the heaviest, so that when 1t is not supported by the bar B, as in Fig. 2, it

will, by its own gravity, fall into the space l), i

Fig. 2, and by means ot the fulcrum-pin` or screw p, Figs. 1 and w2, will raise the coupling-,t

pin c ont ofthe link F, and while that remains so-that is, while the end Ef can fall in` the.

recess D, Fig. 2-the cars cannot be coupled. ,p

I make the double or compound levers 7c and lsubstantially in the shapeshown and indicated in the drawings, and with the front or outer end ot' the part l connected by a jointpin with the pedal g, and lthe rear end connected with k, as shown at k l, Figs. 1 and 2, the lever l working on the l'ulcrum p, and the lever 7c on the fulcrum i, so that by pressing t down the pedal g (or drawing upon the cord h)` will raise the hook or catch b above the pro-` jection and allow the spiral spring a a, Fig. 2,

to force the bar B B forward, so as to allowl the end E of the lever E E to fall into the t recess D, and thereby raise the coupling-pin c out of the link F, and thus uncouple the cars. I make the hook or catch b, Figs.. land 2,

with a flat spring, as'shown at H, or a weight or other means may be used to cause the hook b to fall as-a pawl, or otherwise, to retain the bar B B. l

I make the coupling-link or shackle in the common form, or with a solid part in the center, making the two' parts 'essentially equal, so that' they will work substantially even if the springs a. a., Fig. 2, should happen to be ot' different strength in the d iiierent cars, and of a suitable shape to enter the draw-heads readily, so as to preclude the necessity of any person being present to attend it, all as indicated at F, Fig. 2.

AI make the draw-head of the bell-mouth form, so that it will readily receive the link or shackle, as indicated in Figs. l and 2, with a pair ot flat curved springs, as shown at s s, to receive, guide, and steady the link, and with the inner portion solid, except the slit through which the link passes freely, so that very little strain comes on the springs, except while guiding the link to the slit, but they very materially assist in holding the link essentially horizontal, so as to cause it to enter 1 the other drawliead with certainty.

To prevent the ears being coupled when not desired, (as while switchingthem off on a side-track, it' the link should enter the drawhead of another car,) I attach to the side of the case or box a link, as t, Fig. l, which may be turned up and passed onto the pedal g, as indicated by red dots, which will hold down the pedal, and therefore hold up the hook or catch b, so that if the coupling-link should force the bar B inward to the posit-ion shown in Fig. 2, and thus canse the couplingpin c to enter the link F the moment that pressure is released, the spiral spring t a will throw the bar B forward so as to allow the heavy end E of the lever E E to fall down into the space D, Fig. 2, and lift the couplingpin c to the position shown in Fig. 1 and out of the link F.

If it should be desired at any time when the cars are coupled to lock them in that position so that they could not be uncoupled by the use of the pedal g nor the cord It, a hooked or elbow-sh aped lever, as G, Fig. l, may be used on a fulcrum, as u, so that its point may be dropped into the hole at fu, when it will pass down in front ofthe bar B, as indicated by dots at G, Fig. 2, which will perform precisely the'same duty as the hook or catch b when itis down in the position shown in Fig. 2, and must be raised out by hand or otherwise before the cars can be uncoupled by either the pedal g or the cord h, (because the spring a a cannot throw the bar B forward while it is there.) And if deemed best, two or more antifrictionrollers may be usedV in the lower surface of the bar B,as indicated at w and w, Fig. 2, to cause the bar to move easily.

The lock-lever G, link t, and cord h are only useful on special occasions, as the cord h may be extended so that the engineer or conductor may at pleasure uncouple the rear ear or any rear portion ot'l the train, if he linds it necessary; but in general practice they may be simply let alone, as they will not be in the way.

rlhe advantages of my improvements consist in that by bringing the cars together the link F will push back the bar B until it is caught by the hook or catch b, when the couplinglink F will be secured by the pin c beyond the possibility of being uncoupled, except by raising the hook or catch b, which can only be done by drawing up by the cord h or pressing down the pedal g, -as it is impossible for the pin c to release the link F while the end E of the lever E E rests on the bar B, as shown at d, Fig. 2; and in that the pin c can never be in the way of the link F when coupling, because when the hook or catch b is raised the spiral spring a. a will force the bar B forward, so that the end E ot' the lever E E' will fall into the recess D, Fig. 2, as indicated in Fig. l, and the pin c will be raised; and in that by the use of the curved springs s s and the slit in the inward part of the draw-head, as shown at z e, Fig. 2, the link F will always be held substantially in a horizontal position when it is uncoupled.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. The combination of the bar B B with the lever E E and catch b, when constructed, arranged, and fitted to produce the required result, substantially as herein set forth and described.

2. The combination of the bar B B with the levers Z and 7c and the spring a a, when constructed, arranged, and iitted for uncoupling, substantially as herein described.

3. The combination of the lever E E with the couplingpin c and link F, when constructed and fitted for use, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination of the locklever G with the bar B B, when combined and made to operate substantially as herein described.

5. The combination of the draw-head with the link F, when constructed and iitted for use, substantially as herein described.

6. rllhe combination of the linkt with the pedal g, when tted to prevent coupling, substantially as herein described.

J. H. REED.

Witnesses:

JAs. A. AUsTlN, 1t. FITZGERALD. 

